Date: May 30, 2019
Source: International Exchange and Cooperation Office

JNU President Song Xianzhong met with a 10-member educational delegation from Latvia on May 27. The delegation included officials from the Latvian Education Development Agency, colleges and high school presidents, relevant department heads and Chinese teachers at the Confucius Institute.
Song said Latvia had cooperated closely with China in the last 20 years in many fields, including medicine, economy, trade, ports and land transportation, and JNU was taking this visit as an opportunity to conduct educational cooperation with Latvia. Representatives of various schools in Latvia described their schools’ general situations and expressed their desire to promote exchanges and cooperation. Representatives of the University of Latvia, the country's oldest and largest, said it ranked first in the country and had strong scientific research strength, with nearly half of the country's scientific research achievements. The University of Latvia invited JNU representatives to visit for further implementation of the cooperation.

Riga Technical University is the oldest technical university in the Baltic region. The school attaches great importance to international exchanges and cooperation, and its number of international students has increased tenfold in the last decade. It also actively provides scientific research and technical support to enterprises, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.

Daugavpils University, in Latvia's second-largest city, has an open multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious atmosphere. Being particularly prominent in language and the humanities, the school has offered undergraduates Chinese courses and established its Confucius Institute in 2015.
JNU deputies introduced the visitors to the International School, the Student Affairs Office and the library. During the meeting, JNU and the Latvian delegation agreed to sign a cooperation memorandum of understanding.

(Song presenting Marika Pīra, a Latvia Education Development Agency officer, with souvenirs)